Good and Evil are in the eyes of the beholder
by MephK
Summary: That fateful day, Ichigo dies alongside his mother, and the future of many people is irreversibly altered, for the better or the worse. (Hollow!Ichigo)
1. Prologue

Prologue

Death (the Human)

* * *

Pain. White hot blinding pain, coursing through his veins and burning his body from within. It had all happened so fast. One second he was walking with his mommy on the roadside, the next she was lying still in a pool of blood. And that _thing, _something so horrible it shouldn't exist, was crushing him on the floor, its drooling mouth so close from his face he could feel its breath on his skin. He was so terrified he couldn't utter a single sound.

The last things he saw were its huge teeth closing in on him. Darkness engulfed him.

* * *

**AN:**

**This is something I started last year, and will continue if I have the time (I have the bad habit of working on several things at the same time so everything ends up progressing very slowly.**

**As you might have guessed, in this story Ichigo dies with his mother, so instead of taking the 'shinigami' route, he'll take the 'hollow' route throughout the story. I will try to respect the canon's main lines, but there will obviously be changes.**

**Reviews are welcome, I'm open to any suggestion you may have for the development of the story. :)**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Rebirth (the Hollow)

* * *

He woke up at the sound of sirens, red and blue lights flashing in his eyes. He saw people hurrying all around him, police cars, firemen trucks and ambulances all around him. Yet they all passed him without giving him a single glance. In the sea of people he caught a glimpse of a familiar face and ran toward it.

"Daddy! Daddy, I want to go home!"

And yet no matter how much the boy tugged on his father's clothes, he didn't answer, his eyes locked on something else. The boy turned and what he saw left him shell shocked. Here, on the ground not far away, surrounded by doctors and police officers, lay his mother. So still and cold and so _foreign_. Blood pooled up on the ground around her frame, slowly drying up on her clothes. So surreal. It couldn't be true. It was all a nightmare. He would soon wake up and his mother would hug him, and his father would make that silly smile, and his baby sisters would laugh and they'd be a happy family forever. Yet no matter how much he wished it, no matter how many times he would close his eyes and open them again, no matter how hard he pinched himself, the scene around him didn't change.

He ran toward his mother, ignoring all the others around them, and started shaking her.

"Wake up! Mommy, please, wake up! I'll be a good boy, I'll protect you, I'll be strong, so please, wake up!"

But no matter how much he cried and begged and shouted she didn't move. He barely heard a police officer shout at his left. "Inspector! We found the boy!"

He saw then several men run toward the direction the officer pointed and, still in a shocked daze, followed them. And then he saw it. Here, broken and twisted, and with blood everywhere, lay a boy's body. His head was missing, as if hacked away by something sharp, or maybe even _eaten_ by something, and the sight made him nauseous. The worst fact was that the boy's clothes were the same as his. It sent a chill down his spine.

His thoughts were interrupted by the same officer as before, holding papers in his hands. "The woman was known as Kurosaki Masaki. Her husband is here if you want to interrogate him, inspector. The boy must be their young son, _Ichigo_. From what we gathered, they had gone out to buy groceries-" The man continued on but he wasn't paying attention anymore.

It couldn't be! He was here. It couldn't be him! They must have made an error! He wasn't _dead_. He was still here, thinking, breathing, talking. He tried to shake the man, tell him he was still alive, but the man kept on ignoring him. He ran back to his father, tried to shake him again, to attract his attention in any way possible, but nothing was working.

* * *

He spent the next few days trying to attract his family's attention, in vain. He even had to watch his own burial. It had been so weird, seeing them talk about him, seeing his father about to cry as the lowered the coffin down into the ground, even though he was here, right next to him.

What unsettled him most was, if he was dead, why was he still here and not in heaven of hell or wherever the dead went to? Maybe he was stuck here because of the chain? He had noticed it the first night after the _accident_, when he had been watching his family sleep, cuddled together in search of some warmth and comfort. It was sticking out from his chest but no matter of much he pulled, it wouldn't give in. Not that he wanted to leave his family either way. Now he could watch over them. He had to. Maybe it was his chance to redeem himself for not being able to protect his mother?

And so it started. The dead boy would watch over his father working at the clinic and he would watch over his sisters at home or later in school. He started experimenting with what he could do or not and found out that even though most people couldn't see him, some could sense his presence to a certain degree. He also noticed that as time passed by, the chain seemed to eat itself away and would shorten.

One evening, as he was sitting on the windowsill of his father's study at the clinic, he saw a strange creature in the street. It was completely black except for a strange white mask on its face, with colored lines on it and its body looked like it was trying to copy the form of a human but without much success. Surprisingly, the few people walking outside at this late hour didn't seem to give it much attention. It brought back an ominous feeling to Ichigo, but he couldn't seem to remember why.

Suddenly, the creature leaped and landed heavily on the other side of the road, crushing a few people under its feet and sending off several car alarms. Weirdly, this seemed to attract some attention but instead of running away from the creature, the people called the cops and went to help the wounded, completely ignoring it. Ichigo shouted at them to stay away but they didn't listen and soon several new bodies joined the first ones. Then he saw the creature wreck their bodies and pull out their souls. Or at least that's what he thought it was. They had chains on their chest just like him. It then ate them and leaped away, jumping over the building and disappearing into the night. When the police cars arrived, they concluded that it had been the work of some mad murderer on the run. As if they couldn't see the huge teeth marks on the dead bodies.

* * *

The next time the boy met one of these creatures, about the same thing happened. He deduced that, much like him, normal people couldn't see them. He also noticed that even if their mask and form were different, they all had some sort of hole in their body. And they ate souls. Ichigo couldn't defend himself so he tried not to attract their attention.

That worked for some time but one night, one of them came to their home. It started banging the door open. His father woke up and started going downstairs. Ichigo desperately tried to stop him, he shouted at him to run away with his sisters but his father still couldn't see nor feel him. He couldn't let him die. He couldn't let what was left of his family be killed just like his mother!

Ichigo jumped outside and ran toward the monster. If it had to eat a soul, he would rather it be his than that of his father or sisters! It saw him and started to attack him. Thanks to his little size compared to that of the monster, Ichigo managed to dodge the first hits but the huge creature soon landed a blow that had him flying across the street and landing painfully into a wall. He cried out in pain as it walked toward him, about to eat his soul. It tackled him to the ground and lowered its face toward his, mirroring what happened such a long time ago. He would die. Again.

"Kukuku... Such little faith... Do you want to disappear so badly?"

At first Ichigo thought that the one who had talked was the monster, but surely a beast like that couldn't have a _child_'s voice? And it seemed so close to him, as if talking directly into his mind.

"Do you really think that you'll save them by dying? What a fool you are."

Who? Who could be here? He looked frantically around but he could see only himself and the monster. No one else was here. He must be hallucinating...

"You really are dense, aren't you? How do you think you survived the first time around? They _eat_ souls, remember? It ate your mother's soul and it would have eaten yours too if not for me. Be thankful."

Wha-? Sure, the question had crossed his mind but... There had been no one else that time either. He'd been alone in front of the beast.

"No. You weren't. You've never been alone, Ichigo. I've always been with you, our souls intertwined from the very moment you were conceived. I've always protected you, Ichigo."

The boy stood very still, crouched against the wall and the monster, trying to process what he had just heard. Protected? Then why hadn't that person saved his mother? Why had he left him die? Even the monster seemed to hesitate, so close from ending his existence yet still not doing it.

"I can make you stronger, Ichigo. I can even make you the strongest. And I can give you the power to protect your family and to destroy all those that would dare to try and attack them. But I can only take over if you relinquish your control, as you did last time when you died. All you have to do is stop denying me. Get rid of that chain. Give up on what makes you human and become something more. We can be so much more, Ichigo."

Could he really... Stop being so powerless? Would he finally be able to protect those he loved? Just by... Changing? Evolving?

"Become yourself, Ichigo. Stop denying me. Give up on the pretenses, on the lies and on the rules that bind you. Be finally free, Ichigo. Free of your humanity. Free of your human heart..."

He let himself be soothed by the other's words, slowly relaxing, giving in, he felt strangely at peace. Then a sudden jolt of pain coursed trough his chest, he almost cried out in pain, eyes open wide looking straight into those of the monster, mirroring them even. Pain. Pain. So much pain. His hands frantically clutched his chest, scratching, clawing at it, trying to take away the pain. He was suffocating. His body hunched forward, choking, couching up what seemed like a huge ball stuck in his throat. Then the dam broke and he let out a long howl that had nothing human about it.

The monster took a few step back as its prey contorted and writhed in pain on the floor, slowly turning into something far more dangerous, white matter flowing from his mouth to cover his face as huge hole opened in his chest. His shape gradually changed, becoming darker and darker every second that passed, and crimson black energy engulfed him.

When the energy receded, there was no trace of the child left on the street. All that could be seen were two monsters facing each other. A gruesome fight ensued, ending with the death of the bigger one at the hands of the much smaller yet deadlier new one, who then ate its fallen enemy before disappearing into the night without looking back.

* * *

**AN:**

**Reviews are welcome. :)**


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Predator (the Twin)

* * *

The first few days were a blur for the newly born hollow, he had to get used to this new body who was so different from his previous one. But he didn't miss his frail human body one bit. He was taller, stronger, faster. His claws could tear apart flesh and bone alike, his arms were now prolonged by sleek and deadly scythes and his long tail helped him catch his preys. He tried his hand at a few human and found out that most of the time their souls were bland and tasteless, hardly enough to satisfy his hunger. On the contrary the souls of other hollows like the first one he defeated were all much more nourishing, tasty and were filled to the brim with spiritual power.

Soon the other hollows heard rumors of a cannibal fellow running around Karakura town and killing all those who crossed his way.

* * *

His inner voice had taught him all about what he was: a _Hollow_, a deadly creature that evolved by eating the souls of others. He had taught him how to survive, how to fight, how to hunt and how to kill. He had felt the thrill of the predator, feeding on his prey's fear and despair, ready to attack and end its existence.

He felt himself becoming stronger and stronger as he defeated more hollows and fed upon their corpses, his black red signature energy flaring around him when he fought. He occasionally also fed on humans who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time but their souls didn't carry as much energy and they were often as tasteless as their existence, with sometimes a few who even tasted bad because of their sins. The good ones really were rare. What a shame.

He was sitting as usual on the clinic's rooftop when he felt a strange surge of energy in the distance. It lacked the special, how to say it... Texture? Signature?, Hollows usually put into their spiritual energy and allowed them to distinguish each other easily. This one was more bland, like that of a human, yet much stronger than one would usually be. Intrigued, he headed toward its source to see what it was that emitted such a strong energy.

* * *

What he found surprised him. A human in a black kimono was killing hollows with some sort of katana. He climbed on a roof and let his energy flow everywhere to dull his prey's senses. Humans who could see hollows were rare but he had seen some of them try to fight back. Yet none had actually managed to _kill_ one of his brethren. In fact, none had managed to harm noticeably any hollow, so to see one succeed so easily greatly puzzled him.

"_Shinigami_. Be careful."

He inwardly jumped at the sound of his inner voice. Why did he always have to be so cryptic?

"I don't think that is what you should be worrying about right now."

Then what was it he should worry about? The human? The shini...what?

"Shinigami. They're dead human souls living in their own world, the Soul Society. Part of an army who raids this world to rid it of hollows like us. A good bunch of self-righteous bastards. They're far more powerful than average human souls and their weapons have special powers."

Powers? What kind of powers? Would that make him stronger?

"You'll see when you fight them. This one looks weak enough. Kill him and eat his soul."

He hummed appreciatively at that. He wanted it. The power. The strength. He jumped down and attacked the shinigami, easily cornering him between two high buildings. The human retaliated but he wasn't much more dangerous than some of the bigger hollows he had fed upon. His prey was scared, weak. He was about to end it when the shinigami shouted some weird words, clutching his katana as if it could protect him.

"The katana is called a _zanpakuto_. He just released its shikai, its special power." told him his inner voice.

Surprised, he took a few steps back and he saw the shinigami's zanpakuto emit energy and start changing shape. Within a few moments the sword had disappeared and in its place stood some kind of maul. The shinigami launched himself at him, his speed somewhat increased, and swung the maul in his direction. He barely avoided it but used the shinigami's momentum to make him impale himself on one of his scythes. The shinigami dropped dead. Was that all? He expected something more from someone supposed to live by killing hollows.

"This one was fairly weak. But kill the weak and stronger ones will come. Then we will have some real fun."

* * *

More shinigamis had indeed come, but he had killed them all. Some had tried to put up some kind of resistance but it had proven each time to be utterly useless against his own growing power. Each time he consumed a shinigami, his spiritual energy increased and he picked up the now masterless zanpakuto to bring it back to his lair.

And it truly was a nice sight, all these weapons gleaming under the moonlight. He found himself understanding the dragons of the fairy tales, living surrounded by their trophies and mountains of treasure. Not that he possessed the latter, but he did have a fair amount of the former. The dozen of zanpakutos planted on the Kurosaki Clinic's rooftop were proof enough of that. Some had even retained their shikai form after he had eaten their former possessor's soul. Yet none of them would listen to him. Not that he cared one bit either way. Trophies were meant for show, not for use.

The shinigami often showed up at night and the other hollows were too wary of his strength to dare enter his territory anymore, so he spent most of his days either watching the Kurosaki family or dozing off on the clinic's rooftop. It was one such day when he first found himself in his _mindscape_, as he would later call it. He was lazing out in the sun, his mind free of any thought, when he suddenly found himself surrounded by the tallest skycrapers he had ever seen, thousands of steel buildings reaching the cloudy night sky and towering over a black ocean stretching as far as he could see. Their windows seemed to multiply the moon's light, reflecting it over and over on all the buildings' facades.

"Took you quite some time. Then again hollows rarely have a mind clear enough to access this place. Or even a reason to do so."

The voice came from just behind him and he turned around. In front of him was standing a teen with ashen white hair and skin, his eyes yellow on black and a red striped mask on his face. He wore a long black lined white jacket with short sleeves and white trousers and he had two big knife-like swords on his sides. What sold him as a hollow were the claws on his hands and feet, as well as the black hole in the middle of his chest that stood out, clashing with his white skin.

"You... You're the one who was speaking in my mind, no?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course I am. Who else could be strolling around in your mind, Ichigo?" answered his interlocutor.

"So we're in my mind? But why do you look like this?"

"Yes. And obviously, I am a part of you, so I look roughly the same as you do."

"But I don't look like this. I am a hollow now, not a human anymore."

"But your soul still kept a part of its humanity, hence me looking like this here. And you too." pointed the white haired boy.

Ichigo looked at himself and found that it was true. He looked like his double, except for the colors. His hair was back to its original orange color and his clothes were black instead of white.

"You still haven't completely given up on your humanity, Ichigo, despite having become a hollow. You still unconsciously reject in me the darkest part of your mind. That's why we're still two separate beings here. And that's also one of the reasons why we look so much alike. You could say that I'm your evil twin: you are the Dr Jekyll and I am Mr Hyde."

Ichigo was about to deny it somehow but the other cut him short.

"That was to be expected, though. You aren't ready. Yet. When the time will come for you to finally accept and understand all that you are, we will become one, and my power will be yours. For now, I will stay here but remember that: you are in control because your will is stronger. If your determination falters, if your weakness overtakes you, even for one split second, I will take control of our body and you will be the one stuck here. Got it?"

"Y-yeah..." muttered the redhead, still trying to process what he had just heard. He then opened his mouth again as if to add something but finally decided against it and closed it again without saying anything. The albino made an annoyed noise at that.

"What?" Ichigo looked up at the other, surprised by the sharp tone he had used.

"I... What is your name?" finally managed to ask the redhead.

"Why would it matter? It's not as if I could go away or talk to anyone else." came the annoyed reply.

"But... It would still be easier for me to be able to call you by a name when we converse." said Ichigo.

"Fine. Just choose one, then." answered the white haired teen flatly.

Ichigo thought about it for several minutes and when the other was about to lose patience and lash out he finally answered.

"Shirosaki."

"What?"

"My name is 'Kurosaki' and 'kuro' means 'black'. But you are my opposite, and furthermore you are all white so I thought that 'Shirosaki' would suit you since 'shiro' means 'white'."explained the redhead.

"So be it, then."

* * *

**AN:**

**Reviews are welcome, be it on the way I write or the choices I made in the story. (like keeping the skyscrapers for Ichigo's mindscape)**

**I'm open to any suggestion you may have for the development of the story. :)**


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Strength (the Fullbringer)

* * *

He sat on the wall, looking at the brown haired man running past him without noticing his presence, soon followed by the hollow that chased him. The parakeet sitting on the man's shoulder urged him to go faster, the shaking boy's soul attached to it emitting the tastiest kind of fear. He had been watching the boy for quite some time, wondering if he would turn into a hollow or not, whilst its chaser killed every human that tried to help him. Would he fall into despair soon? The hollow swung forward and struck the human, sending him flying across the street whilst the parakeet worriedly flew around its fallen protector and perched itself on a nearby wall. The tall man laboriously got up, looking all around him in search of what had attacked him.

Incredible. That human truly was tough. He had been chased and attacked for one full week by a hollow and he was still alive. And the hollow wasn't even a stupid new-born. He may not understand why the other was still clinging onto the possessed parakeet, even after learning that it was the source of his problems, but that human did deserve his respect for surviving so long. No matter what the other hollow did, car crash, steel pipes, even direct attacks, he always got back up as if nothing had happened. And he even managed to fight back in some way. His fists flying in the air, missing the hollow most of the time yet still managing to land a hit from time to time, sending the hollow flying with each hit. Absolutely fascinating.

It might even be worth meddling with their fight. Which might procure him some new form of entertainment. His decision made, he jumped on the wall just behind the man and leaned toward him. The distraught parakeet trying to warn his friend while avoiding the other hollow's attacks.

"3 meters straight ahead." Were his only words, his breath on the human's neck, watching closely for his reaction. He wasn't disappointed: the human followed his directions and ran straight toward the hollow and hit him head on, sending him flying away from the parakeet with the sheer force of the impact. The hollow looked at him with a murderous look.

"Traitor! Are you out of your mind? Why are you helping that human?" shouted the other hollow at him.

"You had your chance and you missed it. Seriously, you've been after this child for _weeks_ and you haven't managed to eat his soul yet? How pitiful. And if a mere human actually manages to beat you up, then it simply means that a hollow as incompetent as you doesn't deserve to exist."

"You! I'll show you if I'm incompetent!" roared the other hollow as he opened his wing and started flying above the human. "Even if you tell him where I am, he won't be able to touch me!"

He ignored the hollow and got closer to the human once again.

"Up in the air, at nine." The man looked around but couldn't see him so he simply went for the nearest telephone pole and uprooted it, which greatly amused him. This human really wasn't like the others. The other hollow didn't even have the time to fly away before the pole struck him down.

"Hahaha! I'm not defeated yet! Do you really think I fight alone?" shouted the other hollow, trying to get up from under the pole.

"No. But your little friends won't come. I got bored while watching you so I ate them." he simply answered.

"What?!"

"And I'm gonna eat you too very soon. For now, shut up." he finished their conversation by striking the fallen hollow with his scythes, decapitating him before turning toward the human. The parakeet landed on the human's shoulder and looked at him apprehensively.

"Be careful, mister! The other monster is still here!"

"Where?" asked the human to the parakeet.

"Right!" answered the parakeet and the human swung at him. He barely had the time to dodge the man's fist aimed at his head.

"Is that how you thank me for helping you, human? Without me you two would be dead my now, eaten by the other. Or by me." was his fierce reply.

"You're the one who told me where to hit?"

"Yes."

"Why can't I see you?"

"Average humans can't see the dead."

"So you're a ghost?"

"The boy inside your parakeet is a ghost. I'm some kind of evolved ghost. A hollow to be more precise."

"Hollows eat souls!" interrupted the parakeet.

"And? Humans eat animals, hollows eat human souls. To each one his own diet."

"Then why didn't you eat us?" asked the man.

"Good point. I found you interesting, that's all. The exact same reason why you would choose to keep a pet instead of simply eating it."

* * *

"Every human has a certain ability engraved deep into his or her soul, but most live their life without ever awakening it. It is what makes a shinigami's zanpakuto or a hollow's abilities. It's something that can't be separated from you, no matter what. If a human has prolonged contact with spiritual energy, be it that of a ghost, a hollow or a shinigami, they become receptive to spiritual energy and can see spirits. Some can even awaken their ability during their lifetime. Those who do so call themselves _fullbringers_."

"So you think that the guys with the parakeet could achieve that, Shirosaki?" asked ichigo, sitting on the side of one of the skycrapers with Shirosaki, looking at the moon's reflection in the ocean in front of them.

"Most likely. That strength of his isn't completely natural so it must have already begun." answered the albino, throwing a piece of steel in the ocean and looking at the waves it made expand and reflect at the buildings' feet.

"Should I eat him like the shinigamis, then?"

"I don't think so, it would be more useful to have him as an ally. The ghost as well. The shinigamis can't attack them. And they owe us."

"Okay."

* * *

The human turned around and tried to locate his enemy, in vain, and his effort were rewarded by a second slash on the chest. He tried so hit his enemy but his fists encountered only air. He was beginning to tire, his eyes hurting from trying to focus on something he couldn't see. He jerked around when he heard claws clicking on the ground somewhere on his left and he hardly had the time to guard himself before having to face the full power of the hollow's charge. He stood his ground and tried to seize his invisible opponent but the hollow had already backed off and all he caught was some more air.

"Come on, Chad, you can do better than that. Or maybe you want me to eat you?"

"But I can't see you!"

"Well, try harder! Spending your time with the parakeet-boy should have augmented your sensibility to spiritual energy. You managed to _hear_ me, why are you still unable to _see_? If you don't make any progress anymore I'll be forced to eat the bird to vent out my frustration. What do you say, Mr Shibata Yuuichi the flying snack?" taunted the hollow.

"Don't eat my soul! Please, Mr Hollow!" shrieked the bird, flying everywhere in the room to avoid the hollow's tail trying to catch it.

"Well, at least _you_ did improve at dodging." stated the hollow, turning back to the black haired human just in time to see the dark skinned fist collide with his mask, sending him flying across the room.

"Does that count as an improvement, Mr Hollow?" asked the dark skinned man while contemplating his fist.

"You got me because I wasn't paying attention to you and because I was talking to the boy, that's all." answered the hollow while checking his mask for any cracks.

"But I still got you." said the human, sitting down on one of the warehouse's crates.

"That trick wouldn't have worked in a real fight."

* * *

"You insufferable bird! I'm going to eat you up, you'll see!" shouted the huge spider-like hollow while trying to shake off Shibata who was picking at every uncovered space of skin the hollow left unguarded. He watched as Chad used the distraction the bird had created to locate the hollow's voice and attack it, cracking one of it's legs with a well placed fist.

He had found a wandering hollow not far from here and had dared his new _pets_ to try and defeat it. For now the fight was going well but he was sure the other hollow had something up its sleeve. Well, maybe getting roughed up a bit would speed up the development of their abilities. Weaklings were of no interest to him. He stayed crouched up on a nearby roof and watched the fight unravel in front of his eyes.

As he had guessed, the other hollow did have a trick up its sleeve, as proved the bloodied form of Yasutora Chad not far from his watching spot. When the hollow had started to take the human and the bird seriously, its legs had grown, turning into long tentacles ending with deadly scythes, and it had flung one at Shibata, sending him crashing straight into the ground. The bird-boy had survived solely because Chad had caught him before he hit the ground. After that, the other hollow had decided to shut up and attack from a distance, leaving the brown haired man with the only option of trying to block the hits. And trying to block or avoid four attacks in different spots at the same time was complicated, even for someone as sturdy as Chad.

"If you don't wake this ability now, you'll both end up eaten by that hollow." he informed the human. And he was right, the tall man was back against the wall, his bleeding arms trying to shield his body from the other hollow's attacks. Sending concerned looks to the nearby unconscious form of the parakeet. He taunted the human.

"If you fail, not only you will die, but the boy too."

The hollow struck one last time, aiming to end the fight by sending several of its tentacles toward Chad and around him, embedding themselves into the wall and cutting all retreat for the human, lifting up a cloud of dust and rubbles. When the cloud finally settled, the human's right arm had turned red and black and his forearm resembled a shield.

Surprised, the hollow took a step back but the brown haired man caught one of its tentacles and strongly pulled it, making the hollow fall down closer to him. He then punched it right in the mask, or more precisely, _through_ the mask, and it fell down like a broken doll.

* * *

**AN:**

**Reviews are welcome! :)**


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Ignorance (the Girl)

* * *

A new hollow would soon be born here, he could sense it. Everyday he saw the black haired man fall deeper and deeper into despair, as his little sister's prayers for him became scarce and were being replaced by her blabbering about her everyday life. It fascinated him, how humans became hollows. Maybe because his own transformation had been somewhat different from how it usually happened. He hadn't even bothered slaughtering his own family as new-born hollows often did. Shirosaki was probably right, he had conserved more of his humanity and sanity than the other hollows. Not that he minded it so much. After all, being smarter than the others wasn't such a bad thing.

Finally his chain finished corroding itself and the transformation began. It was a good show, really, seeing the man writhing on the floor, screaming in pain and despair as his heart crumbled down on itself leaving a dark, bottomless hole, the bone white mask of the hollows slowly covering his face. It left him amazed, how remarkably easy it was for humans to corrupt themselves and self-destruct with their own thoughts.

"Isn't it? The way they turn their death into such a drama. How pitiful." commented Shirosaki

When he finally broke down, he started attacking her, becoming more and more violent and vicious each day that passed. It stirred something deep down within his soul. His conscience as a big brother, watching over his family even now. And it didn't please him at all. He'd rather not have to face what was left of his humanity. It hurt where his heart once was, and the pain made him irritable.

She truly was stupid, wasn't she? She acted as if it was nothing. The bruises, the cuts that appeared out of the blue on her body, the accidents she got herself into... Nothing would tamper that naïve and happy attitude of hers.

* * *

It was a bright sunny day when the snakelike new-born hollow finally had enough. He could see it turning around the unaware girls chatting in the hollow's little sister's room. He saw it strike the brunette first, a brutal backlash spilling her blood on the redhead's face as she screamed, asking her friend what was wrong. If only she knew. The hollow then sent her crashing against the wall with his tail, her unconscious form sliding down as her soul separated from her body, yet still attached to it by her soul's chain. When she opened her eyes she saw her body lying on the ground in front of her and the huge hollow towering above her, filling the room with his ominous spiritual energy.

He started shouting, blaming her for everything that happened to him, blaming her for forgetting about him, blaming her for moving on with her life, blaming her for being _alive_. The girl could only watch, her eyes open wide, tears streaming down her face, her whole form shaking in fear at the sight of the violent monster who claimed being her brother. The monster did look like him somewhat, and he did know things about them but her brother would never act like this!

He watched as the other hollow attacked the girl, trying to take her away with him in death. It irked him. Even as a hollow he had never attacked his own family. It really was the lowest kind of thing to do. He jumped closer and broke down the flat's windows, attracting the other hollow's attention. It turned toward him and started to insult him, ordering him to go away and mind him own business, attacking him with his tail. The girl looked at them, cowering in a corner of the room. Why had he bothered to interfere already? Ah yes, his brotherly conscience acting up. How troublesome...

He easily dodged the other hollow's slower attacks and soon retaliated, slashing away skin and bone alike. The other was soon bleeding on the floor in front of him, powerless, eyes full of hate and despair.

"I curse you. You won't take her away from me! I won't let anyone touch her!"

"Shut up." was his only reply as he struck the other right in the middle of his mask, cutting his head cleanly into two pieces. "You make me sick."

* * *

The girl looked up at him, then at the fallen and broken monster her brother had become, and her eyes filled up again with tears of fear, pain and incomprehension. She started weeping and crawled toward the corpse.

"Brother..."

He stopped her before she reached the snakelike mutilated body. She started clawing at his body, tears streaming down her face.

"You killed him..."

"He was already dead."

"But why... Why... I..." She sat down on the floor, all strength gone, trying to formulate what weighted down her heart. She was interrupted by his rough and metallic hollow voice.

"An older brother should protect his younger siblings, not try to kill them."

She looked up and stared into his eyes upon hearing these words.

"You... Were a human too before, weren't you?"

He didn't reply. She already knew the answer to that question. She looked down for a moment, thoughtful, then spoke again.

"Is he free?"

"What?"

"Will he go to heaven now?"

Obviously not, since no shinigami had cleansed him. And especially not since he just ate his soul. But the girl didn't have to know about this. 'Who cares?' were the words on his tongue, yet all that came out was a quiet "Maybe."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

He looked down at her. How could she thank him? He had killed her brother a second time, in front of her eyes. He was just another angry hungry monster. And yet she looked at him with eyes filled to the brim with hope and gratitude. What an absolute nonsense this girl was.

"You stopped him from killing me. He would never have forgiven himself. He was such a good person, always watching over me..."

* * *

He could have made her into a hollow, he could have eaten her soul. He didn't owe her anything. Yet he didn't find in himself the desire to do so. The girl, who had introduced herself as Orihime Inoue, amused him with her silliness and childish antics. So he had instead chosen to return her soul to her body, and had been surprised to see that she had retained the ability to see spirits clearly. She then had taken it upon herself to befriend him. She even baked cookies to thank him, despite him not eating that kind of food. It puzzled the inhuman, _hollow_, part of him yet it soothed the hole in his chest, and he more than once found himself making a detour by her apartment complex, even if he didn't need to be there.

* * *

**AN:**

**Reviews are welcome. :)**

**Feel free to share if you have suggestions for the story. **


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Enemy (the Shinigami)

* * *

To say that Rukia Kuchiki was surprised would be an understatement. She had been sent to Karakura town because several shinigami had disappeared in the area, but... No matter how much she concentrated, she could only feel a few weak hollows in town. And no other shinigami either. What was going on here?

She put her questions aside and decided to cleanse the hollows in the area before going back to Soul Society to inform them of the potential dysfunction of their energy sensors. A few hollows later she was certain that something was off. A town like this should have at least a few midlevel hollows, especially considering the latest events. If the shinigami had been defeated by a hollow, the perpetrator should have been easily noticeable for someone like her. Yet...

The town all around her was deadly still, as if holding its breath, the night's chill permeating through her uniform and making her shiver slightly. Not from the cold, no, she was used to the cold, as proved her zanpakuto. But rather from the eerie atmosphere all around her, making her feel unnaturally insecure. She felt like something was watching her. She was about to open a gate to go back to the Seireitei when she heard something move behind her. She looked back but saw nothing. She was about to put it on her mind playing with her when she thought she saw something move not far away. She felt like a prey and she didn't like it one bit. "Who's here? Show yourself!

She kept on looking around her, trying to find the source of her uneasiness but couldn't find anyone. When she finally gave up she caught a glimpse of a shadow somewhere on her left. She approached carefully and searched the area but once again came up empty handed. She heard chuckles behind her and brutally turned around but once again found nothing. That was starting to creep her out. She began to panic, desperately scanning the dark and empty road for any sign of life, running around the parked cars before taking a few steps back to find herself back against a concrete wall. Every little noise she heard made her jump in fear and sent freezing chills down her spine.

* * *

Suddenly a huge spiritual energy engulfed the whole street, crushing and suffocating her under its pressure. She then heard the sound of claws screeching on the stone just above her head, soon followed by a low chuckle. She slowly looked up and she saw it. The hollow was leaning over the edge of the building's roof, its red striped mask mimicking a human face perfectly still inches away from her face, staring straight into her eyes. She could even feel its breath on her skin, freezing her on the spot.

"Booh." Her legs gave in under her and she fell to the ground, crawling to get as far away from it as she could. It laughed at that. If you could call that laughing. The raspy metallic sound chilled her to the core. It sounded as if an executioner were sharpening his scythe, preparing for the next victim. When she saw the two huge scythes that prolonged its arms, she thought that maybe it was just that. An executioner.

They kept staring at each other for what seemed like forever before she managed to regain enough of her sanity to act. Her soldier instincts kicked in and in an instant she was on her feet, zanpakuto drawn out in front of her, walking on thin air in front of the hollow. It almost looked disappointed before standing up to its full height, its tall figure towering over her petite form. When it launched itself toward her, she was ready. She blocked the right scythe aiming for her head and sent a fire kido toward its head while ducking to avoid the left one. It shouted in anger and gripped her ankle with its tail, sending her flying toward the ground. She stopped herself a hair's breadth away from the ground and stepped back, aiming a few other kidos at the hollow. It growled and jumped on the ground and the buildings to avoid them before completely masking its spiritual pressure and jumping away from her sight.

"You won't have me like that a second time, hollow!" shouted Rukia, looking everywhere for the hollow but still unable to locate it. She hardly had the time to block when it lunged at her from the shadows, its claws stopped millimeters away from her face by her zanpakuto, vibrating from the sheer force of the impact. It then gripped her zanpakuto's blade and tried to snatch it away from her but she refused to give in, her knuckles as white as the handle of her weapon. "Fuck!" swore the Shinigami. "Let go, you beast!" She tugged at her weapon, trying to free it from the hollow's grasp, without much success. "Well, you asked for it! Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!"

* * *

White energy surrounded them and the hollow jumped back in surprise as its body started to freeze over. Rukia's zanpakuto was now of the purest white, from the handle to the blade. "Who's afraid now, hollow?" taunted the brunette. It roared and started pacing around her, keeping its distances and watching closely her weapon. The brunette almost smiled at that. She touched the ground with her weapon four times and the spots started emitting snow-flakes which regrouped around her blade. She then pointed it toward the hollow and spelled "Tsugi no mai: Hakuren!" and all the snow-flakes and the energy around her surged in a deathly cold wave toward the hollow who disappeared in the little snowstorm it created.

"That's what you get for creeping me out, monster." concluded the girl with a haughty expression. It didn't last long, though. A loud howl resonated in the air and the storm suddenly exploded, torn apart by heavy, black reddish tendrils of spiritual energy. Rukia's eyes widened at the sight. The hollow's form was changing, blurring, getting bigger every instant that passed. Realization struck her and she swore loudly. "Fuck! You can't be serious?" It had to choose now of all times to become a Gillian! Then it was surely the one which had killed the missing shinigami and most of the town's hollows. The girl knew she had no chance to defeat it and quickly opened a gate to the seireitei to warn her superiors about what was happening here. She spared one last look at the expanding hollow before disappearing.

* * *

**AN:**

**That's the last chapter I've written for now.**

**The next will be about Ichigo's transformation into a Gillian, and I may add a special "Gillian arc" (If I have the motivation) of several chapters in which he will fight for domination against the hollows he ate (all the while inside of the Gillian's body) before finally becoming an Adjuchas. **

**If I do this, perhaps I'll make chapters in the others' point of view that show what the gillian does in the meantime, and what other events happen. (Aizen's betrayal perhaps?)**

**Reviews are welcome.**

**I'm open to any suggestion you may have for the development of the story. :)**


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